In its 5th week, the PS2 version of Activision’s Spider-Man 2 was again the #1-rented videogame in the U.S., Rentrak said its preliminary Home Video Essentials data for the week ended Aug. 1 showed. The title earned an additional $598,315 in the week, for a total of $3.63 million to date. The Xbox version was again #4 ($277,491 and $1.79 million to date). Atari and Take-Two Interactive’s Rockstar Games label each had 2 SKUs in the top 10 also. Atari’s were the PS2 version of DRIV3R at #3 again in its 6th week ($384,772 and $2.97 million) and the Xbox version at #6 (up one, $209,501 and $1.61 million). Rockstar’s were the PS2 version of Red Dead Revolver at #5 again (13th week, $241,961 and $3.49 million) and the Xbox version at #9 again ($130,434 and $2 million). But Electronic Arts (EA) again dominated the chart, with 4 SKUs: NCAA Football 2005 at #2 again (3rd week, $394,387 and $1.37 million), the Xbox version at #7 (down one, $162,946 and $605,780), Need for Speed Underground for PS2 at #8 again in its 37th week ($155,233 and $9.70 million) and Fight Night 2004 for PS2 at #10 (up 5, 17th week, $125,570 and $1.98 million).

Section A respondents are companies who were not selected as mandatory respondents but submitted responses to Section A of the ITA's AD questionnaire and had sales of subject merchandise to the U.S. during the period of investigation.

In its first full week available, Columbia TriStar’s Hellboy was the #1-rented DVD in the U.S., Rentrak said its preliminary Home Video Essentials data for the week ended Aug. 1 showed. The title earned $8.22 million on DVD in the week, for a total of $8.33 million to date. Last week’s #1 DVD -- Warner’s Starsky & Hutch -- dropped to #2, earning an additional $6.30 million on DVD in the week, for $15.53 million to date. The only other new DVD in the top 10 was Warner’s The Whole Ten Yards at #3 ($4.16 million and $4.21 million).

The ITA states it has treated EMPAF and its affiliate, Maricultura, as one entity for purposes of this AD duty preliminary determination.

(a) For merchandise exported by producers or exporters not covered in this review but covered in a previous segment of this proceeding, the cash deposit rate will continue to be the company-specific rate published in the most recent final results in which that producer or exporter participated.

The future of Eidos remained unclear Tues. as the publisher said that although “it continues to keep all options under review,” it was “in preliminary discussions with a small number of parties in relation to possible business combinations.” Eidos didn’t name any of the parties, saying the discussions were only “at a preliminary stage and there can be no certainty as to whether they will lead to an offer being made.” Eidos said its board didn’t “expect to be in a position to make a further announcement ahead of the company’s full year results” in early Sept. The publisher revealed in June that it was reviewing all “strategic alternatives available” to it, including a possible sale of the company (CED June 18 p5).

The ITA states that it is rescinding this AD duty new shipper review because it has determined that it cannot rely on the commercial documents submitted to the ITA in Shanghai Ocean's request for a new shipper review.

321 Studios was dealt another blow as U.S. Dist. Court, N.Y., Judge Richard Owen imposed a worldwide ban on the manufacture and distribution of its Games X Copy software. The Entertainment Software Assn. (ESA) said the decision gave videogame companies “a major victory in the fight to ban products that facilitate technology-cracking and software piracy.” ESA said 321 Studios “agreed to the preliminary injunction on the eve” of a hearing on a motion by Atari, Electronic Arts and Vivendi Universal Games requesting that the court block 321 Studios from distributing its game-cracking software. In their suit against 321, the game publishers claimed that 321 Studios’ Games X Copy was illegal because it violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by circumventing the technological protection measures used by entertainment software publishers to prevent game piracy. ESA Pres. Douglas Lowenstein said “we are extremely pleased that 321 Studios agreed to stop manufacturing and distributing its game-cracking software.” He said the technology used by 321 Studios “clearly violates the protection that game publishers enjoy under the DMCA and we are optimistic that the final outcome of this case will reflect that.”

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a fact sheet announcing its preliminary affirmative antidumping (AD) duty determinations for certain frozen or canned warmwater shrimp from Brazil, Ecuador, India, and Thailand, which will be effective upon publication in the Federal Register.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has issued a notice announcing the results of the preliminary review of certain petitions it received in connection with its 2003 Annual Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) Review.